    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [November 20, 2004]
    [Pages 2984-2985]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Junichiro
    Koizumi of Japan and an Exchange With
    Reporters in Santiago
    November 20, 2004

        President Bush. It was my honor to have spent some quality time with
    my friend the leader of our strong ally, Japan. I enjoyed visiting with
    the Prime Minister. He's a man of clear vision and inner strength.
        We covered a wide range of subjects, including the North Korean
    Peninsula and Iraq. I also explained to him that my Nation is committed
    to a strong dollar, and I assured him that in my upcoming contacts in
    working with Congress, we'll work to reduce our short-term and long-term
    deficit. It was a great conversation.
        Prime Minister Koizumi. I'm very happy to be able to see the
    President in person, the first time after his reelection. And we have
    shared a view that the U.S. had a great effect in terms of security and
    also in terms of the well-being of the world economy. And I completely
    agree with the view of the President that a strong dollar has good
    impact on the U.S. economy and is also important for the world economy.
        And I was also gratified to know that President Bush has a strong
    intent for further strengthening the framework of cooperation,
    international cooperation, to cope with the issue of Iraq.
        And we also agreed to continue to place importance on the six-party
    talks process concerning North Korea and that we would also continue to
    pursue a diplomatic solution to dismantle all their nuclear programs.
        It was a very short meeting, but it was a meeting of great content;
    so I'm very happy about that.
        President Bush. A couple of questions. AP lady [Jennifer Loven,
    Associated Press].

    North Korea

        Q. Yes, sir. Thank you. Can I ask you what level of flexibility
    you're willing to accept towards North Korea to try to bring them back
    to the table?
        President Bush. What's very important is for the leader of North
    Korea to understand that the six-party talks are--will be the framework
    in which we continue to discuss the mutual goal we all have, which is to
    rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons, and that here, at this
    summit, I will not only speak with my friend the Prime Minister of Japan
    but also the President of South Korea, the
    President of China, and the President of
    Russia about making sure that our intention
    remains the same, that we work together to achieve the goal. And the
    leader of North Korea will hear a common voice.
        Somebody from the Japanese press?

    U.S. Forces in Japan

        Q. Was there discussion concerning the realignment of U.S. force in
    Japan?
        Prime Minister Koizumi. We had a very good discussion from the
    viewpoint of maintaining the deterrence capability of U.S. force in
    Japan and also of reducing the burden that the U.S. bases are posing on
    Japanese communities, including Okinawa. We had a good discussion from
    this kind of point of view. And we also agreed that we would have the
    relevant authorities, the foreign ministry and defense authorities, both
    countries--have them discuss this issue in more detail.
        President Bush. David [David Morgan, Reuters].

    Iran

        Q. Mr. President, given the intelligence failures over weapons of
    mass destruction in Iraq, do you think the U.S. now faces a more
    skeptical world in--when it comes to the nuclear program in Iran?
        President Bush. We appreciate the efforts of the Governments of
    France, Germany, and Great Britain to convince the Iranians

    [[Page 2985]]

    to give up any nuclear ambitions they may have. And the reason why
    they're involved is because they do believe that Iran has got nuclear
    ambitions, as do we, as do many around the world. And it's very
    important for the Iranian Government to hear a--to hear that we are
    concerned about their desires, and we're concerned about reports that
    show that prior to a certain international meeting, they're willing to
    speed up processing of materials that could lead to a nuclear weapon.
    This is a very serious matter. The world knows it's a serious matter,
    and we're working together to solve this matter.

    Iraqi Elections

        Q. There will be elections--elections to be held in Iraq at the end
    of January next year, and I'd like to know if there were any discussions
    on what kind of efforts you will be making towards making this election
    a success?
        Prime Minister Koizumi. Successful reconstruction and nation-
    building in Iraq is just not an important matter for Japan and the
    United States; it's an issue for the entire international community. And
    of course, there were some disagreements concerning the beginning of the
    use of force in that country in the international community, but the
    U.N. resolution providing for reconstruction efforts in Iraq was adopted
    by overwhelming consensus. And we have to make this effort into a
    success. And from that standpoint, Japan intends to continue to do as
    much as it can based on its own initiatives.
        And I told Mr. President that we would like for him to leave it to
    us to decide what kind of assistance that we would be providing, and the
    President was agreeable to this.
        President Bush. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:05 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Santiago.
    In his remarks, he referred to President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea;
    President Hu Jintao of China; President Vladimir Putin of Russia; and
    Chairman Kim Chong-il of North Korea. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of these remarks.